Chapter 7 Rise of the Black Knights

I don't own Code Geass. Anything I use is property of its creators. Anything I use from other sources is also their property.

(Student Council building)

"Please Lelouch can we do it" Milly pleaded as she sat with Lelouch after the latest student council meeting was over. The annual Sakuradite meeting was taking place at Lake Kawaguchi this weekend and due to her father's connections she could easily get tickets. It would be a perfect way for the council to bond and goodness knows they needed a break.

"No" Lelouch said firmly.

"Pleaseeeee, I really want to" Milly repeated hoping to wear down her stubborn lover.

"No" Lelouch repeated standing firm on his decision.

"But why not? Lake Kawaguchi is amazing and the Sakuradite meeting gives us the perfect excuse for a nice weekend out." Milly insisted.

"If you want to go yourself, by all means go but I won't go with you. I have military matters to attend to or have you forgotten about my duties as Zero." Lelouch frowned. Over the last week Rakshata and Nina were working on brand new knightmare frames after Nina showed off her Geass. That along with the mobile base that he acquired meant that he could begin the final phase of his plans. There was no time for a vacation.

"Well I wanna bring everyone along and that includes you." Milly pouted.

If Lelouch was against the idea before, the idea of bringing everybody along was out of the question. "Absolutely not! Shirley Nina and C.C are one thing, and if you can convince them to come I'm fine with that, but Euphy and Kallen are out of the question." Lelouch insisted though he knew C.C would never do it.

"But why!" Milly protested. After everything they did for him, a small vacation was nothing.

"They just are Milly. Please respect my feelings on this" Lelouch frowned.

"Fine" Milly smiled as she kissed Lelouch on the cheek and left without any more complications. "Even after all these years she's troublesome." Lelouch groaned as he leaned back in his chair. Milly wasn't the type to give in so easily and the fact that she did was nerve wracking.

"You do realize Milly is going to pull something." C.C smiled as she appeared from the shadows.

"I know she will. Hopefully it doesn't come back to burn her." Lelouch replied ominously.

(Scene Skip)

"Are you ready girls? This is gonna be fun." Milly Ashford smiled as she sat in a bullet train on the way to Lake Kawaguchi. Joining Milly, were Nina and Shirley each of whom was glad to enjoy the trip.

"It's a shame Rivalz had to work and Lelouch is so busy." Nina said bitterly hoping to spend some quality time with her new boyfriend. Her love life wasn't nearly as interesting as the other girls in their little alliance and it was times like this that she wished she could enjoy it more. Her work with Rakshata was taxing and despite her fears, she needed the break. Having Rivalz along would have been nice since she could calm down for a little bit.

"Speaking of Lulu, He's pretty pissed that you're bringing her along Milly." Shirley lectured as she turned towards the disguised Euphemia Li Britannia. While Lelouch was out doing more gambling, Milly brought up the idea with the other members. Nina and Shirley naturally agreed but Kallen and C.C refused. The interesting one was Euphy who was hesitant to agree at first until Milly lied and said that Lelouch was okay with it. She also said she'd convince Cornelia to go along with it as well and Euphy reluctantly agreed.

"Do you know why Lelouch didn't want me to go?" Euphemia said nervously. She only learned of her childhood playmate's deception when Shirley called Milly out once they got on the train. She wasn't happy since Lelouch's instincts were top notch and if he was worried about something, there was a good reason for it.

"I don't know but it's too late for him to do anything about it." Milly replied confidently. This was going to be a good weekend and she would deal with Lelouch once they came back. After they had a wonderful drama-free time of course

(Scene Skip)

Lelouch relaxed in the new mobile base as he awaited the arrival of the Kozuki resistance group. The room he was sitting in had a large purple carpet with gold and pink in the middle with a single blue chair that arched around the room and could easily fit 6 or 7 people along with a few desks and a TV so they could relax as they moved around in style. Next to him were the new uniforms for his group that he was naming the Black Knights and soon they would start engaging in some more aggressive tactics, "I'm surprised you're so calm about this Lelouch." C.C smiled next to him wearing some casual clothes. She would leave once the Black Knights arrived but even she needed some fresh air once in a while.

"There's nothing I can do at this point. At least Kallen turned her down." Lelouch groaned. Shirley called him a few minutes ago to talk to her about the trip and he was furious to learn that Euphemia was among the group. He would worry about that later but for now he had to focus on the Kozuki group's arrival and hope that the trip went well.

"Well I'm going back to Ashford. Your sister wanted to have lunch with me and I'm not going to say no." C.C smirked. C.C and Nunnally became good friends during her time with the Vi Britannia siblings and Lelouch had no problem with it.

"Go ahead." Lelouch replied as he prepared for his groups arrival. C.C deserved some kindness and friendship after what happened with Clovis and Nunnally was as genuine as they got.

(Scene Skip)

About an hour after C.C left the rest of his new organization arrived. It was Ohgi who came in first followed by Kallen then Inoue and the others slowly made their way in. "This is incredible" Ohgi said happily drinking in the new mobile base. The rest of the small group explored the base and were equally in awe.

"Thank you. You may consider this our new mobile base. For the members we have now this will be enough." Lelouch smiled as the Black Knights moved around. The praises coming from the various members was incredibly amusing to Lelouch and seeing his new group brightened his sour mood.

"How did you get this? I imagine it wasn't cheap." Ohgi wondered.

Lelouch chuckled since he won it in a chess match but he didn't need to tell them that, "I asked a noble that supports my cause and he gave it to me."

"How can you just give something like this away?" Ohgi said flabbergasted.

"You'd be amazed by some of the things nobles do" Lelouch replied dryly. Things finally seemed to calm down and now it was time to reveal how things would be changing. At least that was the plan at first.

"Zero you might wanna see this" Minami said calmly. Minami was an older guy with glasses and brown hair. Minami decided to take the television for a whirl and boy did they hit the jackpot on newsworthy events. Lelouch and the other members of the Kozuki group made their way over to the television room and were met with a rather unpleasant surprise.

"This is the scene from Lake Kawaguchi where Lt. Colonel Kusakabe of the JLF has taken the members of the Sakuradite Allocation meeting hostage along with most of the guests." The news shook Kallen and Lelouch at the same time since they had good friends on the council that were already there and no doubt caught up in the mess.

"That FOOL!" Lelouch fumed as he left the room they were in and left the mobile base for a moment.

"What's eating him, all Kusakabe's done is taken a few Brit's hostage." Tamaki said nonchalantly before being slapped in the face by Kallen, a move that caught everybody off guard.

"You have no idea how wrong you are Tamaki." Kallen scolded before leaving the room.

'What just happened?" Yoshida gasped not expecting this at all. Tamaki was a topic of great frustration for the Kozuki group since his brash actions and bit mouth were always a source of annoyance but clearly this was different.

"I don't know but Kallen and Zero clearly know something we don't" Ohgi said calmly. The relationship between Kallen and their new leader was something that everyone found odd but never before had they seen something like this. The only person who knew what was going on was Inoue but she decided to play it calm.

"I'm sure Zero will tell us in a moment so let's be patient." Inoue said calmly. Internally she was nervous, especially since she noticed that one of the people that were held captive was the girl she saw at the base when she was sneaking around.

Outside of the base, Lelouch sans mask was leaning on a nearby pole and the normally regal Lelouch was in a bad place. Euphemia was captured and there was no doubt Cornelia would be made aware of what was going on. They would save Euphemia and the others, that was a given, but what happened next would not be good. His timeline was accelerated and he knew it. "Zero" Kallen said nervously having followed Lelouch after slapping Tamaki.

"Not now Kallen." Lelouch said angrily not even bothering to look at the red head because of his disgust at the situation. One of the reasons that he didn't want to go on the trip was because he believed that the chances of something like this happening was high.

Kallen knew how angry he was but she was going to do everything she could to help him since she had a decent bit at stake as well, "Believe me, I know how you feel right now. My brother was captured by Clovis and killed or have you forgotten that" Kallen said calmly as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around her secret lover. The fact that the council was captured by terrorists was a problem and Euphemia being there would only make matters worse. If they were going to fix this, she needed Lelouch on his game and now.

Lelouch wanted to disagree with Kallen but found that he couldn't, "Yeah you're right and I have a job to do" Lelouch replied his expression calmer thanks to Kallen.

"That's right. Now go back there and rally your troops Zero." Kallen replied before kissing Lelouch on the lips.

"Thanks Kallen" Lelouch replied before putting his mask back on. As Lelouch there was nothing he could do but as Zero, he could somehow fix this mess.

A moment later he went back inside to find the core members of the group sitting down patiently. Ohgi was the first to speak, "What was that all about. Both of you freaked out when you saw the prisoners." Ohgi said calmly. Kallen was one thing but Zero was a whole different story.

Lelouch wanted to speak first but Kallen decided to do her part first, "I slapped Tamaki because some of the people that Kusakabe took prisoner were members of the student council at my school. Over the last few weeks I've grown close with them so it sucks seeing them captured since there's no telling what will happen to them." Kallen explain.

Ohgi nodded in understanding before turning to Zero, "What about you Zero."

"Ohgi's right. You're usually so calm" Inoue continued.

Lelouch steeled himself before coming up with a story, "My reaction was more for Kusakabe and his idiotic actions. Taking prisoners won't solve anything, in fact it will make things worse. However, it does provide a perfect chance for a debut." Lelouch explained.

Ohgi's eyes widened since it meant they would finally have an operation, "So this means."

"That's right. From this moment on your group will no longer be a resistance group. I assume as you looked around you guys noticed a large brown package sitting on the floor." Lelouch smiled.

"Yes but when I opened it there were just uniforms" Inoue smiled having been the one to find it and notice the contents. She of course knew what his original intention was with the uniforms but this was a change.

Lelouch couldn't help but smile since it meant that Inoue was aware of his plan, "Those will be your new uniforms and from this day forward we will be known as the Black Knights."

"Cool" Tamaki said happily standing up with pride.

"Now my Black Knights, our first mission is to save the hostages from Kusakabe." Lelouch ordered.

The members of the Kozuki group all stood up and saluted, "Yes Sir" the group roared happily.

"Now get dressed and prepare to move out. Sugiyama I'll need you to review the manual so you know how to operate this motorcade." Lelouch ordered.

"Yes sir" Sugiyama smiled.

(Scene Skip)

While the newly minted Black Knights changed Lelouch was all alone sitting and watching the coverage with his mask off for the moment. "This isn't good" Lelouch groaned. Kusakabe had Euphemia captured and there was nothing he could do. Luckily for him, Cornelia wouldn't do a thing because of it. Unluckily for him, he'd have to go straight into the lion's den in order to save them and that meant confronting a very angry sister.

"Hey Zero do you have a minute" a voice said calmly. One that he instantly recognized was Inoue's.

"Come in" Zero replied knowing that she would keep his secrets. As the door opened, Naomi Inoue walked in and Lelouch had to admit she looked good in the new uniforms. Granted they were basically the Ashford Academy uniforms in all black but she made it work.

"I don't know which is stranger. The fact that you basically took your school's uniform and changed the color scheme or that it fit me perfectly." Inoue teased as she did a small twirl in the uniform.

"You can thank Kallen for that since she gave me the sizes for everybody including you. I'm glad to say it fits perfectly." Lelouch teased. The uniform did a good job of showing off Inoue's impressive body and Lelouch could appreciate that even in this bizarre situation.

Inoue blushed slightly at the compliment but focused on other matters, "That's all fine and good but that's not the reason I'm here. I'm curious about the real reason you freaked out earlier. You don't lose your composure like that very easily. I would know"

"Does it really matter?" Lelouch smiled since Inoue still didn't trust him.

"Yes because I want to know that you aren't using us for personal gain." Inoue replied coldly. She still didn't trust Lelouch as far as she could throw him. She viewed their moment in the hotel as blackmail despite how much she enjoyed it.

Lelouch frowned since it was clear that Inoue wasn't quite on his side like he hoped after that tryst, "The reality is Inoue, we are already using each other and we both know it. You guys don't trust me and frankly you never have but you know that without me Cornelia will steamroll you guys." Lelouch reminded her.

Inoue frowned since that was the truth. When Zero wasn't around people were constantly questioning him. Why does he have a mask? Why won't he tell us anything about himself? How did he get all of the resources around him? Ohgi had actually considered following Zero after one of their meetings to find out more about him but Inoue stopped him since she knew that certain people, namely Tamaki, might not take too kindly to his true identity, "You may be right but what happens when our army is strong enough to free Japan. How do we know you'll do what must be done" Inoue questioned.

"You're getting a little ahead of yourself Inoue. We're just getting started and that's a few steps away. Our focus right now should be saving these kids and making their debut" Lelouch reminded her. He was no fool and they were nowhere near ready to face Cornelia yet alone some of the real powerhouses in Britannia. The fact she believed he would bring them that far was admirable.

"Speaking of our debut, something's been bothering me. What's stopping Cornelia from just bombing the place and killing everybody anyway? From what you've told us about Britannia, that possibility does exist." Inoue explained.

Lelouch was pleased that Inoue was aware of such a possibility and admittedly he did consider such a thing as well. Luckily for him, he had a laptop in his office and quickly found the footage of the student council spinning the laptop towards her since she wasn't comfortable being close to him, "Do you see those four girls" Lelouch explained as he pointed out the council.

"Yes I do, one of them is the girl you were showing to Rakshata the other day before… you know?" Inoue blushed heavily being reminded of their tryst in the hotel.

Lelouch smiled at the memory of their tryst but also because this would make things easier, "Nina, the girl you saw, and two of the others are members of the student council at Ashford and friends of Kallen and myself; the fourth girl is the one you should focus on" Lelouch smiled pointing towards Euphie.

"Why is that? What makes that girl so special" Inoue wondered. The fact that one of the girls was friends of his was put to the side since he was clearly getting at something else.

"She is Euphemia Li Britannia. The Third Princess of the Imperial family and younger sister of Cornelia." Lelouch revealed causing Inoue's eyes to widen.

Inoue's eyes widened. How in the world did they have an imperial princess without knowing it, "How!?"

"If you're wondering how nobody's figured it out. It's because Euphie is using a fake name on the trip. Ironically enough, that's what's saving everybody from being bombed. Cornelia won't negotiate with terrorists but just as importantly, she won't risk Euphemia's safety." Lelouch revealed.

"In other words if Princess Euphemia wasn't in the hotel it would all be over and those hostages would be dead." Inoue surmised. Sure there would be some important figures killed but the blame would go to Japan since Britannia controlled the airways.

Lelouch bitterly nodded but realized that this conversation was taking a turn that he didn't want "As much fun as this has been, I'm sure the others are wondering where you are. I imagine if they see you coming from my office it would get suspicious."

"Hmph and here I was concerned about you." Inoue huffed before leaving Lelouch alone with his thoughts. He would debrief the others soon enough but for now he needed to gather himself and get a layout of the building. This was a game of chicken and he knew Cornelia would do everything in her power to try to save the hostages without revealing Euphie. The problem was what happened if the hostages were pushed. Nina's Xenophobia was better but not cured. If something happened to cause that Xenophobia to flare up, it could end very badly given the personalities of everybody involved.

(Britannia G1 Mobile base)

Cornelia Vi Britannia was not a happy woman at all. Her precious little sister was amongst the hostages that had been held by the Japanese over most of the day. Their demands were a release of political prisoners and she wasn't willing to do that because it would legitimize the actions. Right now she was alone with her knight Guilford and Andreas Dalton the leader of her personal forces, the Glaston knights and hoping to find a solution. "Dalton is there anything we can do" Cornelia pleaded hoping to find a solution. If they discovered Euphemia, there was no telling what they would do to her.

"Unfortunately no princess, any attempts from the air or sea have been unsuccessful so far. The only means of attacking them thus far is a supply tunnel and we're moving in now. Hopefully that will provide us a route in the hotel" Dalton replied as they turned towards the screen where one of their Sutherlands was moving towards the tunnel. Unfortunately for them Japan was ready having set up a linear cannon which destroyed the Sutherlands they sent in.

"Damn them they have us" Guilford roared. Because of the small space there wasn't much room to dodge and they'd be sending soldiers to their death. Not exactly something that they wanted to do.

"We must not give in." Cornelia roared hoping to keep the calm even if she could not.

Dalton looked on nervously and whispered, "But princess it's only a matter of time until." Dalton stopped knowing that Japan would only negotiate for so long.

"I know Dalton I know." Cornelia cursed. Euphy was disguised and as far as she knew safe. The problem was that it was only a matter of time until somebody did something and unfortunately that time was slowly approaching.

(Lake Kawaguchi Hotel)

For Milly Ashford the current situation was an absolute disaster and she knew it. Her Geass would be utterly useless against the group of men and Nina was too scared to create something to get out of this mess. The only chance they had was Lelouch and even if he knew about this. He would need time to set up a plan "This sucks" Milly cursed quietly hoping the guards didn't look towards them.

"My sister won't do anything rash because I'm here but that's the only thing saving us right now." Euphy revealed which had Milly even more terrified. Assuming they were freed safely, Cornelia would tear her apart and there was a very good chance Euphy would be taken away from them.

"Lovely" Milly deadpanned. Lelouch was bad enough but Cornelia would be a nightmare to deal with.

"Lulu should be on the way right" Shirley said nervously. There was no doubt that Lelouch had learned about the situation and would act to save them.

"That may not matter. My sister didn't take Clovis's death well and this will only grate her nerves more. He'll have to be clever to get past my sister" Euphy reminded them bitterly.

"Lovely and I doubt this situation could get much worse." Milly groaned. Unfortunately for her, things did just get worse. One of the guards barged in and grabbed a man in his low 30s and dragged him out screaming.

"Oh no" Euphemia gasped since she had a fairly good idea of what's they were doing.

"What's wrong Euphy?" Shirley said nervously.

"That man they just grabbed. He won't be coming back" Euphemia said solemnly and the girls widened their eyes in understanding.

"Okay this is officially bad." Milly said rather obviously. If they were killing hostages, then one of them would be next and THAT could be a disaster.

(G1)

Cornelia looked on in shock as the man plummeted to his death and the pressure was now officially on. Kusakabe appeared on screen once again and it was clear that the die had been cast. "You have 1 hour to decide whether or not to free our prisoners or another man dies. You've been warned." As the screen faded Cornelia cursed because there was absolutely nothing she could do.

"Damn these bastards." Cornelia cursed. Now she had to act because if Euphy realized what was going on, she would act because of her personality.

"Princess Cornelia. We've just received word that Zero has appeared and stolen a news van. He's making his way towards the gate as we speak." One of the soldiers reported bursting into the room interrupting everyone's train of thought.

"What!" Cornelia exclaimed not expecting this at all. Zero's appearance could change everything and she needed to figure out why the masked man had arrived on the scene.

(Scene Skip)

For the newly minted Black knights, the plan was very simple. Using Zero, who was standing on top of the stolen van proudly, the group could get into the hotel to meet with Kusakabe and stall the hostages. While he did that, Kallen and Inoue would help free the hostages and while the guys planted the bombs needed to level the hotel once Lelouch gives the signal. Once that was over they would reveal the saved hostages and then Lelouch would make his speech. It was simple in explanation and execution. There was only one problem with the plan and it was admittedly a big one for most people. "So you've come Zero." Cornelia snarled as she stood on top of her custom Gloucester. She was flanked by three other Gloucester's and with a single word Lelouch was a dead man.

"Yes I have. I heard about the party and I couldn't help but join." Lelouch replied sarcastically. If anybody else from the group tried what he was doing, they would be dead. Lelouch's understanding of his sister was the only reason they could even attempt this and he had to play this right.

"Well it's a good thing you did because before I deal with those bastards in the JLF, I'm going to deal with you." Cornelia growled as she brought her custom weapon forward.

"Kill me and you'll never see your sister alive again." Lelouch said icily. This was a cold game to play but he was going to play it. He was lucky that the JLF couldn't hear the conversation otherwise they'd be in trouble.

"What did you say?" Cornelia said angrily.

"The JLF doesn't know about her but how long do you think she will stay silent." Lelouch smirked.

"You!" Cornelia growled clearly on edge. Zero was right that Euphie would make a move sooner or later and that would be a nightmare scenario for her.

"If you let me through. I'll return her to you unharmed." Lelouch declared boldly.

Cornelia couldn't believe it. This was her chance and once she knew Euphemia was safe she could take care of Zero, "And what if you fail." Cornelia replied. He was her best chance of getting Euphy out safely and she knew it.

"I won't." Lelouch replied with a confidence that even Cornelia could respect.

"Very well Zero. I'll let you free but if my sister dies. You're next." Cornelia replied.

"Very well." Lelouch smirked as Cornelia let them through. As Lelouch made his way into the building Cornelia secretly sent a message to Camelot. If Zero was as confident as she thought, she could kill two birds with one stone. The best part was that Zero wouldn't see it coming.

(Scene Skip)

While Cornelia and Lelouch were having their stare down a different type of battle was taking place inside the hotel. "Milly we have to do something." Euphemia said nervously. It was only a matter of time till the next hostage was taken and there were only a few things left to do.

Milly was panicking because Euphie was right. If they waited much longer one of them would be next and it was only a matter of time. No doubt Lelouch was on his way already but they needed to stall, "Fine but be careful" Milly groaned realizing that Euphy could stall them for a little bit.

"Thanks" Euphemia whispered before standing up proudly.

"Sit down Britannian bitch." The guard sneered walking up to Euphy with a scowl on his face.

"I'll ask that you call me by my name. Princess Euphemia Li Britannia." Euphemia said boldly. There was no other choice at this moment and her only hope was that Lelouch was making his move as they speak.

As the crowd stirred the guards all looked at the young woman in shock. "Radio the Lt Colonel. It seems as though we have a V.I.P in this crowd." The guard from before said happily. The guard pressed his radio but couldn't reach him.

"What's wrong?" Another guard wondered.

"Looks like another call is coming through." The guard replied. A moment later the man attempted again and this time found success.

"What is it" Kusakabe said on the other side.

"We have a woman claiming to be Princess Euphemia on the other line. What should we do with her?"

"Bring her here. It seems as though we've gained two V.I.P's in a single day." Kusakabe said happily.

Because of her proximity to the guard Euphy overheard the women and smiled, 'Took you long enough Lelouch' Euphy thought to herself. Now this move wasn't nearly as risky and they would likely be freed soon enough.

"Alright" the man replied as he grabbed Euphemia and brought her along. To the girls remaining it was a seemingly helpless situation and one that would not end well for the princess. However Euphemia was confident that her brother would do everything in their power to save the group.

(Scene Skip)

For Lelouch everything was going as planned. The Black Knights were planting the bombs while Kallen and Inoue saved the hostages. He already used his Geass on the guard in order to ensure once he got rid of Kusakabe he had free reign of the place. "Here's the Lt Colonel" the guard said calmly Lelouch's orders already set in. Opening the door he expected a few guards and the Colonel but he was unpleasantly surprised to see that Euphy was with him.

"Welcome Zero. I'm glad you could join me on this glorious occasion." Kusakabe said smugly. To anybody watching they would agree with him. He had a Britannian princess prisoner and Zero by his side. He believed that he held all the cards.

"And why exactly is this glorious." Lelouch groaned. Kusakabe was always arrogant but this was completely ridiculous.

"Because, now the world will know that Japan is back." Kusakabe boasted.

Lelouch was about to speak but Euphemia beat him to it, "I'm afraid it's quite the opposite Kusakabe." Euphemia frowned.

"Oh" Kusakabe smiled.

"That's right. In fact I believe that you may have doomed any chance the JLF has of surviving by your idiotic actions." Euphemia taunted. Lelouch couldn't help but frown since Euphy was playing a dangerous game.

"What did you say!" one of the soldier's roared but Kusakabe stopped them.

"What do you mean by that Princess?" Kusakabe grumbled. Clearly he was angry about the comments but he wanted to know what she meant.

"My sister is a loyal Britannian through and through but there is one thing she is loyal to more than anything, her family. I'm the only reason this building is still standing right now." Euphemia said with her own smugness.

"Thank you for the information Princess. Now I know exactly what to do to prove my point." Kusakabe smiled viciously as he motioned to one of the soldiers. Euphemia's eyes widened since her plan had backfired.

Lelouch had to make a move since Kusakabe was going to take Euphemia prisoner, "That's enough Kusakabe."

Kusakabe sneered since Zero was in no position to order him, "Sorry Zero but I no longer have any use for you. Thanks to the Princess being here, Japan will be free." Kusakabe said boldly as he reached for his blade ready to pounce.

"Kusakabe you and your men can just DIE" Lelouch said coldly revealing his Geass with Kusakabe only inches away. Luckily for Lelouch all of the men were facing him and quickly succumbed to his orders. Kusakabe and his men slowly began ending their lives. For Lelouch it was a solemn feeling since he didn't hate Kusakabe, but if he took Euphy hostage it would end in disaster. A hail of bullets later and Kusakabe and his men were dead leaving a very irritated Lelouch with Euphemia.

"Lelouch I-" Euphie said bashfully.

"What the hell were you thinking Euphy? You had to know I was on my way." Lelouch said coldly.

"I couldn't let them kill another person." Euphemia said tearfully.

"And that person would've been minor compared to you and we both know it."

"But" Euphemia started to say before they heard a large rumbling. "What was that" Euphy gasped.

Lelouch looked to the window and noticed that Suzaku and the Lancelot were outside, "That would be the hotel slowly collapsing due to the support pillars being destroyed"

"So we need to get going." Euphemia said nervously.

"Yes and I'll deal with you later." Lelouch smiled. It was time for the Black Knights debut and for the world to know about the new face of justice.

(Scene Skip)

For Diethard Reid the current chaos was expected from the moment that Zero stole his news van. "What are you planning Zero" Diethard mumbled. The hotel was slowly falling to the ground and because of the volatile situation nobody knew the status of the hostages. To Diethard, Zero was planning something and he needed the news van. All of the sudden the van that was stolen finally started showing images and even Diethard would admit to having a bitter smile at the audacity of the masked man.

"My dear Britannians, here are your hostages safe and sound." Zero said calmly as boats ferried the people once captured by Kusakabe to safety.

"Thank you Zero" Cornelia muttered from inside her knightmare when she spotted Euphie safe and sound. When she saw the hotel collapse she panicked since Euphy was still inside.

The camera turned towards Zero once more and he was standing by himself on some sort of support, everyone watching was stunned when the floodlights turned on and the rest of the Kozuki group appeared though they were dressed in their new uniforms. "Fear us or rally behind us as you see fit. We, are the Black Knights." Lelouch announced proudly as he flew his cape all around. This was his grand stage and he was ready to put on a show.

"What an ironic name for a group" Lloyd Asplundh smirked having watched the scene unfold from Camelot's base. Suzaku's handling of the linear cannon was admirable and he further confirmed that making him the pilot of his Lancelot was the right move.

"When Clovis decided that his pride was more important than the people he was sworn to protect, I was the man who made him pay for his crimes. Kusakabe made a similar mistake today and once again I was called forth to administer justice and judgement. Many white knights have appeared on the battlefield to save their leaders but my black knights are no such creatures. We fight for the people in Shinjuku who just wanted to survive, or the hostages today who were caught up in a situation that they didn't ask for her require. I will gladly take to the battlefield, if that is what's required of me. What I will not do is allow anybody who seeks to use their power to ruin the lives of the normal citizens for their own gain. The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed and I am prepared to be killed. You have been warned." Lelouch said boldly putting an end to his speech.

(Unknown Area)

As the broadcast came to an end, many of those watching were stunned by the new group and the audacity of its leader. Many Britannians hated Zero because of what happened with Clovis but they had to admit that saving the hostages and freeing them was something to be admired. Then there was the Six Houses of Kyoto, the group that had run Japan's resistance from the shadows. Lelouch may not have known it at the time but his actions struck a chord with the group that would change everything. The six members sat in a large room their faces hidden from view but their influence known to all. "Well that was an interesting display." A male voice said gruffly.

"Yes I agree. This Zero character appears to be quite the personality." Another male voice added.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't these Black Knights simply this Zero character taking over the Kozuki group." a third voice added.

"That's correct and I'm sure Master Zero has big plans for the group" a youthful female voice said happily.

"Clearly you've fallen for this Zero character Kaguya" another male voice chuckled.

"But of course. He's been around for only a few months but he's already proven to be just what we need. He took out Clovis, saved Suzaku in a situation that most would find helpless and now this. He's certainly proven himself" Kaguya reminded the group.

"This was impressive but it's not enough to save Japan. Let's see what he does with the Guren." the third male voice said again.

"Why would we do that?" the first voice protested. The Guren was the custom knightmare and it was going to be Japan's best weapon. To give it to a relative unknown was foolhardy.

"Because he will have to take the fight to Cornelia sooner or later, without a real weapon like the Guren he'll be crushed just as easily and it will also show us how capable he is." The female voice explained.

"Alright, we can consider this Zero's final test." The third voice confirmed.

"Very well" the second voice nodded grumpily. This was just the beginning and if Zero continued to prove himself. Kyoto would back him as required.

(Ashford Academy)

Of course after a magnificent debut and a successful mission, nobody would've blamed Lelouch for sitting with his group enjoying a celebration of a battle well won. Lelouch had different plans, "Millicent Ashford you have some explaining to do" Lelouch said coldly as he sat in his room with his blonde lover. The fact he was calling her by her real name was proof that he was furious. Milly was currently naked and an angry Lelouch had a vibrator stuck in her pussy and purple anal beads plugged into her ass. The toys were Milly's, an attempt by her to make up for the obvious lack of love in her life before Lelouch finally accepted her feelings but now they were being used to punish her.

"I'm…sorry…Lelouch." Milly said nervously her body trembling because she knew this wouldn't be brief.

"Sorry isn't enough Milly. You're lucky that I was able to protect you and the others." Lelouch said coldly.

"I…know...and I won't…do it again." Milly explained though it was a struggle because of all the things happening to her.

"I should hope so" Lelouch smiled as he left Milly in his room to suffer.

"Where are you going" Milly asked nervously.

"I'm hungry and C.C. just ordered some pizza. I'll be back for you in about 40 minutes." Lelouch smiled leaving Milly helpless on the bed so she could think about her mistake. For Lelouch it was a successful day and while he was annoyed at Milly, he was certain she would listen to him from now on.

That's it for Chapter 7. I know that I've skipped a lot of things in this chapter but most of it was because I didn't deem it necessary since you pretty much know what happens Anywho I hope you like what I've done and I hope you continue to read my story despite the changes I've made. Next chapter the Black Knights look to the future but for many in Japan, the focus is on the past and not in a good way.